Al-Munawi Explained

Religion:Islam
Occupation:Muhaddith, Scholar, Muslim Jurist, Historian
Era:Early modern period
Al-Munawi
Zain al-Din
Al-Ḥāfiẓ
Birth Date:(952 AH/1545 AD)
Birth Place:Cairo, Ottoman Empire
Death Date:(1031 AH/1621 AD)
Death Place:Cairo, Ottoman Empire
Region:Egypt
Alma Mater:Al-Azhar University
Denomination:Sunni
Creed:Ash'ari[1]
Main Interests:Fiqh, Hadith, History, Tasawwuf
Works:Fayd al-Qadir
Influences:Al-Shafi'i
Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari
Al-Suyuti
Al-Sha'rani
Shams al-Din al-Ramli

Muhammad 'Abd al-Ra'uf al-Munāwi (also Al-Manāwi) (Arabic: محمد عبد الرؤوف المناوي), was a renowned Egyptian Islamic scholar of the Ottoman period. He was a prominent Shafi'i jurist, hadith specialist, historian, and mystic.[2] [3] [4] He is considered one of the most greatest Sunni scholars and prolific writers of his time.[5] [6] He authored a celebrated and classical work titled Fayd al-Qadir.[7] He was the paternal great grandson of Shaykh al-Islam Sharaf al-Din al-Munawi and was a famous disciple of Al-Sha'rani.[8] [9]

Name and Origin

The title "Al-Munawi" originated from the village of Munayt or Munāw, an area of Egypt where his ancestors settled around the 7th or 12th century after their departure from Tunisia.”

Biography

Al-Munawī was born in the city of Cairo in the year of 952 AH/1545 CE and was a member of was a member of prestigious family well-known for their knowledge and piety. His family members were all scholars, and he was raised in a home full of information. He first started learning under his father Tajul 'Arifin. Before entering puberty, he memorised the Qur'an as well as other valuable texts in Shafi'i Fiqh, Hadith, Arabic syntax, and Seerah. He was made a very young hafiz and Al-Sha'rani inducted him into Tasawwuf. Following his passing, he made contact with several groups, including the brotherhood of Halwatiyya. After a few religious services, he withdrew from society to compose. Then he went back to the outside world to teach at the University of Aliyya, where his extremely high calibre of instruction attracted the most illustrious academics of the day and caused some to make him so envious that he was certainly poisoned. He managed to get away, but he soon gave up teaching and began dictating his works to one of his sons, Taj al-Din Muhammad, who was now too frail to write them down. He died in the year 1031 AH/1621 CE.[10]

Teachers

He studied some of the greatest scholars of his day:

Students

Among his students were the following:

Works

Al-Munawi was a prolific writer who wrote over 100 works including:

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ahl al-Sunna: The Ash'aris - The Testimony and Proofs of the Scholars. Arabic. almostaneer.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20210128040753/https://almostaneer.com/ebooks/أهل-السنة-الأشاعرة-شهادة-علماء-الأمة-و/أكابر-محدثى-الأمة-وحفاظها-وأكابر-فقها. 28 January 2021.
  2. Book: Knysh . Alexander D. . Ibn ʻArabi in the Later Islamic Tradition The Making of a Polemical Image in Medieval Islam. State University of New York Press. 1999. 9780791439685. 311.
  3. Book: Carl F. Petry, M. W. Daly . The Cambridge History of Egypt. Cambridge University Press. 10 December 1998. 2. 26.
  4. Web site: الأعلام - ج 8 - نافع بن ظريب - يوهنس. IslamKotob. 167.
  5. Book: Nelly Hanna

    . Hanif . N. . Nelly Hanna. In Praise of Books A Cultural History of Cairo's Middle Class, Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century. Sarup & Sons. 2002. 9788176252676. 113.

  6. Book: Jane Hathaway, Karl Barbir . The Arab Lands Under Ottoman Rule 1516-1800. Taylor & Francis. 22 July 2014. 9781317875635. 133.
  7. Book: Ibrahim. Ahmed F.. Pragmatism in Islamic Law - A Social and Intellectual History. Syracuse University Press. 27 April 2015. 9780815653196. 250.
  8. Book: Jonathan A. C. Brown

    . Brown . Jonathan . Jonathan A. C. Brown. American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 34:3. International Institute of Islamic Thought. 2017. 13.

  9. Book: Hanna . Nelly . Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis Africa and Europe. Syracuse University Press. October 2003. 9780815630364. 170.
  10. Web site: A biography of 'Allamah Munawi (rahimahullah). islamqa.org. 27 November 2019 .
  11. Book: Neale. Harry S.. Sufi Warrior Saints - Stories of Sufi Jihad from Muslim Hagiography. Bloomsbury Publishing. 24 March 2022. 9780755643387. 126.